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Lots of people find winding down at night tricky, and many have messed around with regular earbuds or playing soundtracks out loud. Enter the Philips Sleep Headphones, a gadget launched in October 2023 with the sleep app Kokoon in tow. They’re made to stay in your ears all night, play relaxing audio, and track some basic stuff about your night. A reviewer took them for a spin to see how they hold up in real life.

Getting Started with Philips Sleep Headphones

What’s in the Box?

The Philips Sleep Headphones (model TAN7808GY/00) come in a slim, recycled cardboard box that’s easy to stash in a bag. Inside, there’s a fabric carrying case holding the headphones, a short USB-C charging cable, and five pairs of silicone ear tips, numbered from extra small (0) to large (3). The smallest tips are already on the earbuds, ready to go. It’s a simple package, nothing fancy, but it gets the job done for travel or storage.

Setting Them Up

Pairing these headphones with a phone is straightforward. Press and hold the power button on the neck panel, and they pop up on your Bluetooth list. The Kokoon app setup is just as easy, scan the QR code on the box, punch in your email, and you’re good to go with a free 12-month subscription (normally £35 a year after that). The app unlocks extra features like sleep sounds and tracking, but you can skip it and stream from Spotify or YouTube if you prefer.

First Impressions of the Design

These aren’t your typical earbuds. They’ve got a soft, cushioned panel that rests at the back of your neck, with twisty wires leading to tiny 6mm earbuds. It’s an odd look at first, like something out of a sci-fi movie, but slipping them on feels natural enough. The earbuds tuck into your ears, and the neck panel stays put without much fuss. They weigh just 270g, so they’re light enough to forget about, at least initially.

Comfort and Wear: Can You Actually Sleep with These?

How They Feel in Your Ears

The earbuds are small and thin, which Philips claims makes them the “thinnest in the world.” Whether that’s true or not, they don’t stick out much, so they won’t dig into your head if you’re a side sleeper. The silicone tips come in five sizes, and they’ve got little hooks to keep them secure. One tester found the largest size (3) still didn’t fully seal their ears, though they stayed in place overnight. Another swapped tips easily and had no issues with fit. It’s a mixed bag, your ear shape will decide how snug they feel.

Side Sleeping vs. Back Sleeping

Side sleepers seem to be the target here, and the design mostly delivers. Lying on your side, the earbuds don’t press too hard, and the neck panel doesn’t get in the way. But flip onto your back, and that panel can start to annoy. It’s not heavy, but it rubs against the neck or head, enough to notice after a while. One tester ended up pulling them off mid-night when sleeping flat; another managed fine but preferred side-sleeping anyway.

Staying Put All Night

The earbuds are meant to stick around till morning, and for the most part, they do. The hooks on the tips help, but there were a couple of nights when one popped out, nothing major, just a minor hassle. Compared to regular earbuds that vanish into the sheets, these are a step up in staying power.

Sound and Audio Options

What You’re Hearing

The sound comes from balanced-armature drivers, which keep things clear but don’t pack much punch. Bass is pretty much nonexistent, and the overall quality feels basic, like old-school wired earbuds. That’s fine for soft voices or ambient noises, but don’t expect a concert in your ears. They’re not built for that, and they don’t try to be. There’s no active noise cancellation, just passive blocking from the tips, which muffles outside sounds to a decent degree if the fit’s right.

Kokoon App Audio Choices

The Kokoon app offers a bunch of sleep-friendly tracks: think purring cats, rainy car rides, or a windy forest with owls. There are also meditation guides and stories, like one about a boathouse, averaging around 30 minutes each. They’ve got a chill vibe, though some testers wanted longer tracks for nights when it takes a while to wind down. You’re not locked into the app, stream podcasts or music from anywhere else if that’s more your vibe. The audio doesn’t leak much, so it won’t bother anyone sleeping nearby.

Smart Audio Fading

Here’s a cool feature: the earbuds have bio-sensors (a red light under the right bud) that pick up when you’re starting to zone out. When they sense it, the audio fades out or switches to white, brown, or pink noise. It’s a cool idea, but it’s not flawless. One tester noticed it kicking in too early, before they were fully out, while another couldn’t tell if it worked since they were already asleep. It’s there, it functions, but don’t expect perfection.

Sleep Tracking: Does It Tell You Anything Useful?

What It Tracks

The bio-sensors don’t just deal with audio, they also keep an eye on your night. The Kokoon app logs when you fall asleep, wake up, and how many times you stir. It breaks down sleep stages (light, deep, REM) in a color-coded chart and notes when the headphones come off. It’s kind of like what a smartwatch does, picking up on movement and some basic patterns. One tester found it matched their Apple Watch data spot-on; another saw gaps where it missed chunks of the night.

How Reliable Is It?

The tracking’s a bit hit-or-miss. Some nights, it captures everything - bedtime, wake time, all the stages. Other nights, it skips parts or stops if an earbud falls out. The chart’s simple but doesn’t show exact times for each stage, which can leave you guessing. It’s handy for spotting patterns, like how long it takes to doze off, but it’s not as polished as dedicated sleep trackers.

Any Extra Insights?

There’s no room monitoring (like noise or temperature) built in, and it doesn’t sync with apps like Apple Health. You get basic trends, time to sleep, wake-ups, but nothing deep. It’s a nice bonus if it works for you, but don’t count on it as your main sleep detective.

Battery Life and Charging

How Long They Last

Philips says you’ll get up to 10-11 hours per charge, enough for a full night. In practice, that holds true, most testers got through 8-9 hours without a hitch. But one woke up to dead headphones after 6 hours, despite charging them for 3 hours the night before. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it’s tight for anyone who sleeps long or forgets to plug in.

Charging Them Up

Charging takes about 2 hours from empty, which isn’t fast for such a small battery (0.75W at 5V/0.15A). The case doesn’t double as a charger, just a holder, so you’re stuck with the cable. There’s a battery-saver feature that cuts power when you take them off, which helps, but you’ll still need to juice them up daily.

The Practical Stuff

Weight and Size

At 270g, they’re light for headphones, with dimensions of 200 x 55 x 12mm (main unit) and earbuds at 3cm deep by 1.5cm high. They’re compact enough to toss in a bag, and the case keeps them safe, though it picks up dirt over time.

Tech Specs at a Glance

• Drivers: Balanced Armature

• Bluetooth: 5.0 (A2DP, AVRCP, HFP profiles)

• Battery: Up to 10-11 hours

• Charging: 2 hours via USB-C

• Extras: 5 ear tip sizes, fabric case

What Works and What Doesn’t

The Good Bits

1. Lightweight Feel: They’re easy to wear for hours, especially on your side.

2. Audio Options: Plenty of sounds to pick from, and streaming works fine.

3. Side-Sleeper Friendly: No poking or prodding when you’re on your side.

4. Sleep Tracking Basics: When it works, it gives a decent snapshot of your night.

The Not-So-Good Bits

1. Sound Quality: Clear but flat, don’t expect much depth.

2. Battery Limits: One night’s worth means daily charging.

3. Back Sleeping Woes: The neck panel gets in the way if you’re flat.

4. App Quirks: Sleep tracking’s spotty, and the subscription stings at £35/year.

Different Route to Dreamland Sleep

Ozlo Sleepbuds®

An amazingly restful and peaceful sleep every night, free from distractions and noise, is the greatest gift you can give!

What are Ozlo Sleepbuds?

Ozlo is a science-driven, one-stop-shop for the best sleep of your life. Unlike other headphones and earbuds, our tiny Sleepbuds® are engineered to be super comfy, even for side sleepers, while blocking out sleep-disrupting sounds.
Sleepbuds® play audio for up to ten hours, letting you enjoy our noise-masking tracks or stream anything you like, including audiobooks, podcasts, white noise, and YouTube.

The Ozlo Difference

At Ozlo, we're dedicated to helping you achieve the best sleep possible through innovative audio solutions. Our company, founded by three former Bose engineers, focuses on creating products that not only help you fall asleep, but stay asleep throughout the night.

Ozlo Sleepbuds® simply don’t feel like other earbuds. Sleepbuds stay in place even when you toss and turn. The tiny earbuds, with their comfortable silicone tips and anchor-in-place wings, are designed for all-night comfort, no matter your sleeping position. Sleep on your back, side, or whatever works for you, and Ozlo Sleepbuds® will remain in place throughout the night.

Key Highlights

• Founded by three former Bose engineers with extensive experience in audio tech
• Sleepbuds® actively mask unwanted sounds like snoring, traffic, and environmental noises with calming, science-backed audio.
• Ultra-soft silicone tips designed to support every sleeping position, ensuring a secure and comfortable fit.
• Up to 10 hours of continuous use with extra charges from the Smart Case.
• Built-in biometric and environmental sensors offering personalized sleep reports
• Personal alarm gently wakes you without disturbing your partner

Learn More

Conclusion

So, after all the testing and tinkering, what’s the final word on the Philips Sleep Headphones? They’re a solid pick for anyone who likes a little audio help winding down at night, especially if you’re a side sleeper who’s tired of regular earbuds falling out or digging in. The lightweight feel, decent sound options, and that smart fading trick make them worth a look, but they’re not flawless. The neck panel can bug back sleepers, the battery’s a daily chore, and the sleep tracking’s more of a rough sketch than a masterpiece. They’re not cheap, and that Kokoon subscription might raise an eyebrow or two.

For someone who’s been tossing and turning a lot, they might be a neat gadget to try out. A tester found them a step up from blasting music out loud, while another wished the design was a tad smaller and the app less finicky. It’s not a one-size-fits-all deal, your sleep style and patience with tech will decide if they’re a keeper. Give them a few nights to break in, and you’ll know if they’re your ticket to dreamland or just another gadget gathering dust.

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